New traffic lights coming to Richmond Hill

The residents of Mulberry Subdivision in Richmond Hill will soon get the green light on a construction project that has been on their radar for years.

According to City Manager Chris Lovell, the long-awaited traffic light on U.S. 17 at the entrance to the subdivision should be up and running by the middle of July.

“The construction contract calls for the light to be finished by August, and it looks like the light will be up by the middle of June,” he said.

Lovell explained that the city opted for the more expensive “mast arm” type of traffic light that puts the electrical service underground, and it takes a little longer to be built as compared to the type of traffic light that has the electrical service lines above ground and stretched over the road.

“The ‘mast arm’ type of traffic light requires more time to be built but it is much more attractive,” he said.

“I think the Mulberry residents will be pleased with the final product.”

The cost of the traffic light is about $235,000, Lovell said, with the city picking up the majority of the tab by paying $185,000, the state department of transportation furnishing $25,000 in materials and another $25,000 coming from the former landowner of the property where the Family Dollar store is located.

After the construction is complete by the middle of June until the middle of July will be a transition period with the traffic light blinking to familiarize the more than 17,000 vehicles that traverse the road daily with the light.

After that 30-day period, the traffic light becomes fully functional.

Mulberry residents have fought for at least 10 years to get a light erected at what they called one of the most dangerous intersections in the city.

The residents endured several DOT traffic studies that indicated there was not sufficient traffic at the site to warrant a traffic light.

The main reason a traffic light is now being constructed, Lovell said, is because the city is paying a large percentage of the construction costs. Previously, the city had asked the cash-strapped DOT to pay the entire cost.

Another traffic light is scheduled to be built at the intersection of Ford Avenue and Timber Trail Road.

That light, if all goes according to schedule, will be complete by the end of 2013.

That timetable could falter, however, if the city and Bryan County fail to successfully address several issues regarding Timber Trail Road.

The ownership of Timber Trail Road has been debated for years.

The city has always claimed it is a county road and the county has claimed it is a city road.

Because of that, issues such as maintenance and the relocation of a portion of Timber Trail Road at the entrance to the Bryan County Recreation Park have further clouded the ownership issue.

Lovell said the road needs repairs in several areas, including along the road shoulders and that work will have to be completed by the county prior to the road being accepted by Richmond Hill.

The cost of that work will be borne by the county. The city will cost share with the county on the resurfacing of Timber Trail Road once those repairs have been completed, Lovell said. The city and county will also cost share the cost of erecting the traffic light, which should cost about the same as the Mulberry traffic light, Lovell said.

Bryan County Administrator Ray Pittman said the Timber Trail Road traffic light will be a win-win for both city and county residents.

“We are hoping to begin the bid process on the repairs and resurfacing of Timber Trail Road within the next couple of months. That should put us on track for completion by the end of the year,” Pittman said.

But, the ownership and repair issues of Timber Trail Road aside, both Lovell and Pittman agreed that the traffic light will make the area safer.